Glycosylated hemoglobin and albumin-corrected fructosamine are good indicators for glycemic control in peritoneal dialysis patients.

PURPOSE: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is the most common cause of end-stage renal disease and is an important risk factor for morbidity and mortality after dialysis. However, glycemic control among such patients is difficult to assess. The present study examined glycemic control parameters and observed glucose variation after refilling different kinds of fresh dialysate in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. METHODS: A total of 25 DM PD patients were recruited, and continuous glucose monitoring system (CGMS) was applied to measure interstitial fluid (ISF) glucose levels at 5-min intervals for 3 days. Patients filled out diet and PD fluid exchange diaries. The records measured with CGMS were analyzed and correlated with other glycemic control parameters such as fructosamine, albumin-corrected fructosamine (AlbF), glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), and glycated albumin levels. RESULTS: There were significant correlations between mean ISF glucose and fructosamine (r = 0.45, P<0.05), AlbF (r = 0.54, P<0.01), and HbA1c (r = 0.51, P<0.01). The ISF glucose levels in glucose-containing dialysate increased from approximately 7-8 mg/dL within 1 hour of exchange in contrast to icodextrin dialysate which kept ISF glucose levels unchanged. CONCLUSION: HbA1c and AlbF significantly correlated with the mean ISF glucose levels, indicating that they are reliable indices of glycemic control in DM PD patients. Icodextrin dialysate seems to have a favorable glycemic control effect when compared to the other glucose-containing dialysates.

Combining body mass index and serum potassium to urine potassium clearance ratio is an alternative method to predict primary aldosteronism.

BACKGROUND: Though aldosterone-renin ratio (ARR) is the current routine screening method for suspicious primary aldosteronism, we hypothesized that the simple formula combining body mass index (BMI) and serum potassium to urine potassium clearance (PUKC) ratio was comparable to ARR. METHODS: Records of patients who were referred to the National Taiwan University Hospital for investigation of primary aldosteronism from January 1995 through December 2007 were retrieved. Primary aldosteronism was diagnosed based on the modified 4-corners criteria, otherwise essential hypertension was diagnosed. In both groups, the PUKC/BMI ratio was determined as well as the ARR. Bland-Altman and mountain-plot analysis were used to validate the agreement between ARR and PUKC/BMI. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to compare the sensitivity and specificity of PUKC/BMI and ARR. RESULTS: The records for urinary potassium were analyzed for 177 hypertensive patients (134 patients with primary aldosteronism). ROC curves showed comparable areas under the curves of both methods (95% CI: -0.029 to 0.183; p=0.186). Bland-Altman analysis further supported the agreement between ARR and PUKC/BMI ratio. CONCLUSIONS: We found that the screening power of PUKC/BMI was as good as that of conventional ARR. With the quick and extensive availability of the PUKC/BMI method and its equivalence to ARR, this screening strategy would be a good first-line tool for massive community-based primary aldosteronism surveys.

Factors associated with metabolic acidosis in patients receiving parenteral nutrition.

AIMS: Metabolic acidosis is a common problem after infusion with chloride-based parenteral nutrition. However, it is unknown whether the occurrence of metabolic acidosis is related to this regimen of therapy or to patient-specific risk factors. METHODS: Patients receiving parenteral nutrition from July to December 2003 at this hospital were included for a retrospective study. Patients were excluded who had illnesses that were potentially related to acid-base disorders. The remaining patients were divided on the basis of parental nutrition they had received: a chloride-base regimen group, and an acetate-based therapy group. Biochemical character and blood gas data were analysed. Continuous variables were analysed by t-test. Categorical variables were assessed by chi-squared test. Independent determinants for bicarbonate decline were analysed using forward stepwise multiple linear regression analysis. RESULTS: There were 29 patients (17 women, 12 men) who received chloride-based regimen and 26 patients (16 women, 10 men) took acetate-based therapy. The acetate group had significantly higher baseline serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen than chloride group. The blood pH, CO(2), bicarbonate and base excess were significantly lower after receiving chloride-based therapy; while these changes were not observed in acetate-based therapy group. However, the serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen levels were not statistically different. With multiple-stepwise linear regression, parenteral nutrition formula and estimated creatinine clearance are independent predictors of bicarbonate decline. CONCLUSION: The acetate-base regimen can decrease the occurrence of metabolic acidosis after parenteral nutrition. In addition, the risk of acidosis is higher in patients with impaired renal function.